I have a used machine that didn't come with a supply hose. It says in the manual to use a 3/8" hose to supply the machine. But the brass fitting below the drip tray does not appear to be 3/8". I imagine they are referring to the supply tap, and that it goes from 3/8" to some other measurement. I'm estimating 1/2", but wondering if anyone knows for certain?

I have a 1999 S27. I was wondering what the 2 manual "switches" on the circuit board were. For the "economizer" switch, can someone explain how it economizes? What are the negatives to using it?

I recently replaced the autofill probe wire because the prior one was losing insulation. Should I have used a silicon insulated wire?

When I bought my S27 the autofill probe was set all the way down. Where is the best setting for the probe?

Recently I rebuilt the steam wand with new parts, replaced the vacuum breaker gasket, replaced the shower screen and group head gasket...are there any other "preventive maintenance" steps I should take. I don't think that it had been well maintained, but a water softener was used, so there's no scale.

Not sure about economizer mode...interesting, but im assuming its not running full amperage until you hit a button.

as far as the dipstick I keep mine about an inch up. I do this because the lower the dipstick the more steam and the higher the dipstick the less steam (more water in the boiler). I dont steam too much and would rather have better temp stability with MORE water in the boiler with the dipstick a bit higher....and my boiler is 7 liters :)

Found a local seller in my area that is selling a very good condition S27, (The one that needs to be plumbed). The person is local and offered to have me come by and make a shot and they would show me how the machine operates, etc. Initially they were asking $850 but have since said they would lower the price. There machine was purchased in 96 probably made in 95. The seller has said they have had no problems with it. Whats a reasonable amount I should expect to offer? I thought about offering $500 but not sure if that is too low or too high? any suggestions would be great. I'm supposed to go see it in the next day or so so I'm hoping some folks here can chime in.

Also, being a newbie I really don't want to drop $500 on a machine that I'm going to have to put a lot of money into vs just buying a newer one albeit probably not the same specs.

Found a local seller in my area that is selling a very good condition S27, (The one that needs to be plumbed). The person is local and offered to have me come by and make a shot and they would show me how the machine operates, etc. Initially they were asking $850 but have since said they would lower the price. There machine was purchased in 96 probably made in 95. The seller has said they have had no problems with it. Whats a reasonable amount I should expect to offer? I thought about offering $500 but not sure if that is too low or too high? any suggestions would be great. I'm supposed to go see it in the next day or so so I'm hoping some folks here can chime in.

Also, being a newbie I really don't want to drop $500 on a machine that I'm going to have to put a lot of money into vs just buying a newer one albeit probably not the same specs.

Draw some water from the hot water wand and from the brew head.They should be nice and clear.Smell it - nothing too metallic or off. (Milk can be sucked back into the steam boiler and go rancid)

If that is OK - have a little taste.It should taste clean - albeit a touch "flat".

This'll indicate if it's been looked after/cleaned.

Aside from that - pump noise should be quiet and smooth.Check all the touch pad buttons work - including the how water one.Unscrew the shower screen and see if it's clean under there.On my 240V version in Australia - it heats up in ~15 minutes (boiler temp) - REALLY slow heating may indicate scale buildup on the elements. (No idea what "normal" is for a US-spec machine.

Oh - With the ProCon pump - I've been running mine off a water tank for 7 years with no problems.Just adjust the pump to suit the lack of line pressure.

Hey - thanks for all the info here - been lurking a while, just bought a S27. Was told it needed a heating element, but I only paid $50 for it. I didn't both plugging it in first as it had been in storage a while.

I'm an espresso noob as far as making it - this is my first machine, but I have electronics and mechanical assemble background. But my trips to Italy have me really wanting to make some good espresso.

Anyway, the heating element measures out at about 8 ohms, so I think it's good. When I pulled the boiler, it was about 20% filled with scale, including about 1/2" of sludge on the bottom. The element is pretty well coated too.

My current plan is to strip the pipes, replace a few wires that have cracked on the main switch, replace the gaskets, and fire it up.

Any risks? It has one of the larger "procon" pumps. Is that mandatory to hard plumb in right off the bat? I read the entire thread - not sure which models are OK on a reservoir and which ones aren't.

Thanks for all the info you guys share. Looking forward to getting this thing running - then I need to find a decent grinder.

After getting through the descale phase, I'm looking for a Lucifer hot water valve, 110V version. I have the relay and the shaft, but the valve itself was so clogged that the screen was damaged. Any recommendations on finding this part? I haven't had much luck yet - have inquiries placed to a vendor that I ordered a switch and all the washes/orings etc from. Anyone convert they're S27 to and S26 and have one left over? :)

OEM part for the assembly including the Solenoid and shaft is 34040109 - I'm just looking for the mechanical valve if possible.

Thanks. Tear down has been fun - looking forward to the rebuild. Still need to break the screen screw loose from the group head and get the HX tube off the boiler top plate.

I think I posted this in the wrong place before so I will try here (sorry mods).

I have a S26.

Okay, I have decided to be more scientific about setting up my machine that i have been using for the last 8 years. Before this everything was set up after the initial rebuild just by judgement alone (don't judge me). This included the pressure of the pump, the boiler pressure, etc.

In my recent journey to get better coffee I have started to set things up more accurately. I discovered that my water pump was running very low so I have now set that to 9 bar. Now I am moving on to water temperature. Using the not so accurate instant thermostat in the polystyrene cup method I see I am only getting group water temperature of about 85oC (constant after initial flush). The thing is the tank pressure is up at 1.3 bar which, according to other threads, is high. Am I correct in saying that something cant be right? Now, I should highlight that I stripped the boiler pressure gauge last year and removed the needle when doing so. There is a strong possibility that the needle was not put back on where it should have been which would result in the gauge reading wrong. When I put the needle back on the gauge I set it so it was reading 0. I presume this is correct. Correct?

Is there an easy way to check the gauge? Should I keep adjusting the tank pressure until I get water temp at the group up to 95oC? Or should I just buy a new boiler pressure gauge?

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